


Drifting

by haldoor



Series: Parental Involvement [7]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-19
Updated: 2013-04-19
Packaged: 2017-12-08 22:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/766639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None, beyond the use of a character from S3.20 of whom I knew little beyond his friendship with Steve when I wrote this (before seeing the episode)<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> No ownership; no profit<br/><b>Beta:</b> Ran it past <span class="ljuser i-ljuser"></span><a href="http://kaige68.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://kaige68.livejournal.com/"></a><b>kaige68</b> but all mistakes are my own<br/><b>Summary:</b> Steve wants to tell his father about him and Freddie, but isn't sure that he can<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Drifting

**Author's Note:**

> This is Part 7 of the **Parental Involvement** series about Steve coming to terms with the fact he never told his father about his sexuality. There is some comparing of his uneasy relationship with his father to his current relationship with his mother after her twenty-year absence. This part fits just after Part 5, **Separate Beds** , time-wise

"It was a good service."

Steve turned from watching Freddie, wandering some distance away by the waterline in the dimming light of another gorgeous Hawaiian day, as his father spoke behind him.

"Yeah. Grandpa made a lot of friends here. It was nice that some of them wanted to talk."

Jack McGarrett lowered himself into a lawn chair, indicating one next to it for Steve. "Sit with me a while, son."

Steve sought Freddie's eyes, his heart quickening, but Freddie just lifted his chin in encouragement and kept moving down the beach _further_ away. Taking a breath, Steve managed a tight smile at his father before gingerly sitting down beside him.

"Your aunt and uncle have gone up to bed, and Mary's watching TV. Gives us time to talk."

"You wanted to talk about something?" Steve could barely meet his father's eyes.

Jack shrugged, his eyes drifting in the direction of Freddie before their keen blueness focused back on Steve. "You haven't been home in a while. I'd like to hear what you've been up to."

"You know I can't tell you much." Steve ducked to avoid the questioning look.

Letting out a low huff of air, his father gazed towards where Freddie crouched to study something in the sand. Jack's voice was quiet, but there was curious note in the tone. "Son, you can tell me anything, and I don't mean the classified matters. I know… we haven't been close, but that doesn't mean… you can't share some of your life with me."

Jack's eyes were still on Freddie – who had moved again and was slowly getting smaller against the pinkness of the post-sunset sky – as Steve stole a cautious look at his father, apprehension growing. A flash of memory hit Steve as he looked towards Freddie, blood pounding in his ears.

   _You_ can _tell me if there's more to your friendship with Moku._

Freddie started heading back towards them, and remembrance of their conversation from yesterday restoked the fire of Steve's fear.

   _He wouldn't actually report us, would he?_

Perhaps Jack wouldn't go that far, but Steve couldn't convince himself that his father wouldn't condemn – perhaps not even so much who Steve loved – as the flaunting of a rule of the organization Steve so proudly represented. That the rule was ridiculous was obvious, but Steve remembered discussions from his youth with his father about rules and regulations. Jack believed that as long as rules existed – even if they seemed unsound or unjust – people would better serve justice by doing what they could to alter them through the correct channels than by tying up resources through breaking them.

Thoughts tumbled inside Steve's head like so many pins falling as he watched Freddie draw closer, and he knew he couldn't tell his father the truth, no matter how easy the man thought he was making it for Steve to speak candidly.

"There's really not much to tell. BUD/s was tough, but Freddie and I both made it; we've been deployed a couple of times to places I can't tell you about, and free time is practically non-existent. There's training and exercises and… we have to be back there tomorrow."

"Okay." Jack nodded quietly and rose as Freddie came close enough to hear. "Your flight's early tomorrow, so you probably want to get to bed soon. I'll leave you to it. Goodnight son, Freddie." He nodded in Freddie's direction and headed indoors.

Standing up to watch his father leave, Steve felt torn by his cowardice. But then Freddie was there, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and holding on tightly.

~//~


End file.
